UCLA Football Preview: Colorado's Offense May Be Worst in the Nation
UCLA Football Preview: Colorado's Offense May Be Worst in the Nation
Colorado's offense is ranked 127th nationally and the Buffs are 129th nationally in scoring.
In our preview looking at the Colorado coaching staff and special teams, I wrote about how the Buffs’ offense does not appear to be very good. In fact, Colorado has not scored more than one touchdown in a game yet this season.
So, it would seem that the a picture of the Colorado may just appear next to the definition of “low-powered” in the dictionary. Unsurprisingly, it’s reminiscient of Dorrell’s offense when he coached UCLA.
In fact, the Buffs’ offense appears to have a tendency to shoot itself in the foot by turning the ball over early. Colorado has turned the ball over on their first possession in each of their last two games.
Quarterback
Colorado’s poor offensive performance even has resulted in a call for Karl Dorrell to start freshman quarterback Owen McCown. In an article titled “Karl Dorrell, if you don’t play Owen McCown at QB for Buffs against UCLA Bruins, next CU football coach will,” Denver Post columnist Sean Keeler makes the case for Dorrell to start the son of former NFL quarterback Josh McCown this weekend.
In fact, both of Colorado first and second string quarterbacks were ineffective against Minnesota. Junior transfer J.T. Shrout, who came to CU this season from Tennessee, was just 4 of 11 passing for 24 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, sophomore Brendon Lewis wasn’t much better. He went 2 of 6 passing for just 14 yards. McCown, on the other hand, was 4 of 7 for 52 yards against Minnesota.
In fact, McCown may see more time this weekend. All three quarterbacks have been getting time this week with the starting offense. Another reason Dorrell might want to consider starting McCown is the fact that he’s a lefty. While a quarterback’s throwing hand isn’t as important in football as a pitcher’s is in baseball, most quarterbacks are right-handed. So, having a left-hander introduces a twist that an opposing defense might not be prepared for.
Running Game
Sophomore tailback Deion Smith is the Buffaloes’ leading rusher with 159 yards on 28 carries and a touchdown. His workload will continue to be heavy this weekend since junior Alex Fontenot will most likely miss the game due to a chest injury. Fontenot has carried 20 times for 84 yards in two games this season.
But it’s freshman running back Charlie Offerdahl who leads the team in rushing yards per carry. Offerdahl has carried 10 times for 66 yards, giving him an average of 6.6 yards per carry.
Interestingly, the team’s fourth leading rusher is second-string quarterback Brendon Lewis, who has gained 43 yards on 12 carries.
Passing Game
The first option in the Colorado passing game is junior Daniel Arias. Arias has made nine catches so far this season and, with 124 yards receiving, he is the only Buffalo receiver to have gained more than 50 yards.
Beyond Arias, Colorado has really spread the ball around. The Buffs have six receivers who have made three catches each, five who have made two catches each and four who have caught two passes each.
But none of these guys seems to be much of a threat. Jaylon Jackson, Montana Lemonious-Craig and Jordyn Tyson are the only Buffaloes who have more than 30 receiving yards and Tyson is one of just two players who have scored. The other touchdown catch was made by freshman tight end Austin Smith.
Speaking of tight ends, there are two other tight ends to keep an eye on. The first is senior Brady Russell. Russell has played well against UCLA the past two seasons. Last year, he caught five passes for 87 yards and, in 2020, he led all Colorado receivers with five catches for 77 yards and a tocuhdown. So, even though Colorado changed offensive coordinators after last season, don’t be surprised if the Buffs go back to him.
The other tight end of note is freshman Caleb Fauria. He’s the son of former Buff Christian Fauria and he’s a cousin of former Bruin Joe Fauria.
Go Bruins!!!
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The only downside to this is that Dorrell could be cut loose and kicking around the "available coaches" pool. He might be hired (as an assistant) by a compassionate UCLA AD and..dare I say it..work his way up the food chain.
Nawwwww. Just haven't had my Cheerios this morning and the blood sugar level is trending toward "E". And, lest I have my skin ripped off by the angry hordes, I like Dorrell and, after all, he was a damned fine FB player.
It's just that -- well -- wasn't he the reason we're all congregated here after the events of some 15 years ago?
So if the Bruins played TCU, AirForce & Minnesota in their first 3 games (like Colorado), would they be 0-3 too?